Kismet
by VivoRisataAmore
Summary: Kismet - meaning fate or destiny.  If two people are meant to be they will be, no matter what changes. If one person lived and another was never given life would Kate and Rick still have met? Of course because it was destiny.  Secret Santa for chianita11.
1. Chapter 1

**Merry Christmas chicanita11! This is for the 2011 Castle Secret Santa, I got chicanita11 and the request was '**Kate's mom never dies, she lives a happy life, Castle never has Alexis.'** So here you go, I hope I do it justice.**

**I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>'Miss Beckett, a Richard Castle is here to see you.'<p>

Kate barely heard what the blonde woman had said, she was too busy signing off the last few pieces of the case she had just closed. 'Send him in, thanks Julie.'

The young lawyer paused, rubbing her temples trying to get rid of the headache that was beginning to form. She had just gotten a call from her Mother trying to arrange a dinner for Saturday since they hadn't been able to catch up in weeks and subsequently found herself buried in a pile of paperwork that needed to be done before she left that night.

Rick paused in the doorway, looking at the woman leaning over some paperwork, concentration evident in her face. She had her hair pulled back into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She was younger than he would have thought, and a lot more beautiful. 'Miss Beckett, I presume?'

'That's me.' She said as she closed the manila folder lying on her desk she stood to look at her guest. She was shocked to realise that standing in the doorway to her modest office was Richard Castle, as in the Richard Castle. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and attempted to put on her court room face. 'When Julie said Richard Castle was here I didn't think she meant the novelist.'

He gave her a lop sided smile, 'you've heard of me then?'

'In passing,' Kate shrugged, trying to hold down her need to squeal in joy. She gestured to the dark leather chair on the other side of the desk, 'please, take a seat.' He moved over and sat down, reaching to play with the trinket on her desk, she swatted at his wandering hand. 'What is it that you wanted to talk about today Mr Castle?'

He sat back in the seat, arms lying along the sides of the chair. 'I need a lawyer.'

'I thought you were the man who was never actually charged with anything.'

'Not for me.'

Kate sighed, 'for whom then?'

'Kyle Cabot.'

Kate leant forward slightly, her sharp elbows resting on the cluttered desk, 'Kyle Cabot, as in the man who killed Alyson Tisdale?'

'No, well yes, but no.' Kate raised one eyebrow questioningly at the writer. 'It's a long story but to put it simply Kyle is nothing more than a red herring, he did not kill Alyson Tisdale.'

'And why are you so certain?'

Rick was glad to see the slight smirk on her face, because that meant she would let him speak, even if it was just to humour him, he might just get her convinced, 'because I was consulting on the case.'

'The police let an author follow a detective during an actual homicide investigation?' The lawyer was appalled at the number of protocol violations that must have caused.

'The killer was copying murder scenes from my books, and so I got myself put onto the case.' Rick leant forward, trying him charm smile on the lawyer, 'so are you willing to help me or not?'

'Mr Castle, you do realise that I am not usually asked to take on cases like these. I am a civil rights lawyer, not a criminal justice lawyer.'

Realising that his usual charm smile wasn't all that she needed to bend to his will, Rick decided to go for all out flattery. 'Yes, but I've heard that you're the best of the best.'

Kate smirked slightly, showing the writer that she knew just how good she was in the court room but refused to acknowledge it verbally. 'You must be certain that Kyle Cabot is innocent.'

'Oh he is,' the writer nodded slowly.

Kate's brow furrowed as she thought, 'sure enough that you would attempt to convince a lawyer who is less than likely to take on the case to help you out.'

'With the amount that I would be willing to pay you I promise that it would be me helping you out.'

Kate sat back in her chair, contemplating the man in front of her. As she let her thoughts roll around her mind she tapped a finger lightly on the edge of her leather chair. Suddenly she leant forward, resting her thin arms on the crowded desk in front of her. 'If I agree to take on this case you have to promise me one thing, Mr Castle.'

'You name it.' He said sitting forward eagerly.

She looked him straight in the eye, testing him, 'you will not ask me out.'

'Miss Beckett, what kind of man do you think I am?' Rick said, feigning hurt.

Kate rolled her eyes and leant back in her chair, 'the type that I've had more than enough of.'

'Alright, I won't ask you out, scouts' honour.'

Kate tapped a pen on the desk and pursed her lips slightly, 'fine. If you can prove to me that Kyle Cabot is innocent I will agree to take on the case, pro bono.'

'I am more than happy to pay you.'

'No need Mr Castle, if the jury found out that a man who helped on the investigation was paying the accused's lawyer it would cause a retrial and I have a soft spot for kids like Kyle.'

Rick followed her lead and stood, before making his way over to the door. 'And when can I see you next?'

'Tomorrow, one o'clock,' Kate said opening the door to let him through. 'Don't be late.'

As he disappeared down the hallway Kate let the grin she had supressed for the whole meeting take over. Smiling broadly she bit her lip to stop the squeal of excitement that was threatening to escape, she had to call her Mom.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, this will be a multi chapter story, but not too long. Hopefully it will all be up in time to make the deadline. <strong>

**Writing Mom is making my hands twitch…**

**I hope you guys like it, if so review, if not still review and let me know why. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter, a short one but a bit of introduction. **

* * *

><p>Kate heard the beeping of another call coming through and quickly said goodbye to her Mom, reassuring the plans for later that week. 'Alright, Saturday night, I'll see you then. Bye, love you too.'<p>

She hung up the phone and quickly picked it up again when the ringing started. 'Thank you for calling, how can I help you today?'

A familiar voice filled her ears, even the crackling of the phone line couldn't hide the smooth silkiness of his tone. 'Kate you have got to come help me, I got caught.'

'Mr Castle,' the lawyer said, lounging back in her expensive leather chair, 'what exactly did you get caught doing?'

He seemed to be a bit hurried and a little scared, 'I was trying to get the files, and long story short I'm in lock up. Could you come get me please?'

'Don't you have someone else, your mother perhaps?'

'She is in California at the moment, attempting to earn back the money her ex stole.' Somehow, despite being a phone line away he could sense her condescending look. 'I offered to let her live with me but she didn't want to interrupt my bachelordom.'

Kate sighed dramatically, only pretending to think about it. Really she was halfway through finding her keys when she replied, feigning reluctance. 'Alright, but you owe me.'

* * *

><p>'Detective Esposito here will show you down to the holding cells. Mr Castle is free to go, just please remind him that this ends his involvement with any of our cases.' The Captain smiled at her.<p>

'Thank you Captain, I promise he won't be a problem anymore.'

'Yo, Ryan,' the Hispanic detective called across the bull pen. 'Writer boy is about to go, any last words?'

Ryan just smirked, he knew that the comment wasn't directed at him but at Detective Gates, their team leader who had objected to him following them all through the investigation. 'Tell him he owes us a poker night for getting him that deal.'

Kate decided that these two were good guys, they were obviously trying to make a joke out of it all and they seemed friendly enough. 'You guys were on the Tisdale case right?'

'Yep,' he nodded. 'Slam dunk, the guy even kept souvenirs.'

'So you think he's guilty?'

As he stepped into the elevator he turned to look at the lawyer. 'Don't tell me that he got to you?'

'He didn't, I was just wondering if he was the only one who thought it.'

'Something does seem off, only we have the evidence and we don't need the motive. Everything sealed up nice and tight for the DA.'

Kate hummed lightly, contemplating the detective's words as they walked out of the elevator and around the corner, into the holding area.

As they approached Rick walked over and held onto the bars, 'Kate! You're here! Thank God, they have me in here with New York's most hardened criminals.'

Kate looked over at the cell, seeing only Castle and a teenage boy scratching something onto the wall. She almost cracked a smile but refrained, putting on her game face instead. 'So Mr Castle, tell me, how exactly did you get arrested for felony theft and obstruction of justice?'

As the officer released him from the cell he walked on over to the slightly angry and amused lawyer. 'You told me to bring you the files.'

'So you stole them from the police?'

Rick held up a hand to correct her, 'borrowed. I borrowed the files.'

'Uh huh,' Kate said, raising one eyebrow slightly. 'Come on, the quicker we leave the sooner I don't have to put up with you.'

The writer followed the lawyer out of the building, the two of them bickering as they walked.

* * *

><p>When Kate was settled in back at her office she felt a nagging feeling in her gut. She couldn't get the thought that maybe he was right out of her mind, what if they were going to send the wrong person to prison? Like the detective had said, it's a slam dunk, it's too easy.<p>

What had her mother always said? The truth was the most important thing? Hell, her mother had almost died in an attempt to prove it. Luckily for her the attacker hadn't accounted for her misplaced kidney and she had been able to call out for help. Even after that she kept going, only avoiding dark alleys now. In the end she put three cops, one hired killer and a political figure in jail for life over it.

Kate put one hand on the phone lightly, biting her lip and trying to summon up some of her mother's courage. Three was no harm in looking over the files, right?

Before she could reason against it she picked up the phone and dialled the number for the twelfth precinct. 'Hi Detective Esposito, this is Kate Beckett. I'd like to request the files on Mr Cabot, I will be his defence.'

* * *

><p><strong>So short, but a new chapter soon, I promise. <strong>

**Thanks for the lovely reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know I missed the deadline, but I aim to have it all up by New Years. **

* * *

><p>He hesitated as he went to knock on the door, he had hoped that the secretary would let her know that he was coming, instead he had to do it himself. With a few quick taps he felt his heart beat increasing, would she let him back?<p>

'Come in.' Two words floating through a door managed to sink into his chest heavily. He pushed on the thick wooden door and stood just in the entrance, less of a path for him to walk if she kicked him out.

Seeing the writer standing in her doorway Kate slammed the pen in her hand down on the desk with too much force, 'Richard Castle, why are you here?'

Turning on his charm he tried to talk her out of the anger, 'I know that I didn't convince you last time but let me try again.'

'No need,' Kate said waving a photo of Alyson's body in the air, giving him a little smirk. 'I've got all the evidence I need right here.'

'You got the files?' He asked as he walked across the beige carpet quickly and pulling the seat in front of her desk out.

'Yes,' Kate said, leafing through a few of the photographs in front of her. Putting the first two crime scene photos next to each other she seemed to go off into her own little world, 'right out of Flowers for your Grave and Hell Hath no Fury.'

Rick smirked, leaning back in his seat cockily, 'looks like I've got a fan.'

'Yeah, a really deranged fan,' Kate agreed breathlessly.

'Oh, you don't look deranged to me.' Rick said, smirking again.

'What?' Kate asked, eyes widening in confusion.

'Hell Hath No Fury? Angry Wiccan's out for blood.' The writer scoffed, 'come on, only hard core Castle groupies read that one.'

Stunned into silence Kate tried to gather her thoughts into a coherent sentence. Struggling to stop her voice cracking in embarrassment the lawyer tried to steer the conversation back onto topic, 'why did the police suspect Kyle exactly?'

'They found his fingerprints on a fan letter he sent to me,' Rick looked her straight in the eye, attempting to convey the seriousness of his next few words. 'Yet, there was no evidence left at the crime scenes.'

'That doesn't even make sense to me.' Kate said, her brow furrowing in thought. 'That would not be enough to convict him, anyone can send a letter saying anything they like with no intent to follow through.'

'That wasn't all, the police tracked the finger prints and they found him in his apartment and enough evidence to arrest him.' When Kate still looked doubtful he continued, 'also Kyle has PDD, which stands for pervasive developmental disorder. This can manifest into an obsession with a single subject, in this case, Kyle felt that he was attached to me.'

Kate coughed lightly. 'Your super fan also has a history of delusions. I did read his file Mr Castle.'

'Yes, but that obsession is what the police based their conviction on.'

'Makes sense…' Kate said, flicking through the file once again. 'So, he starts with a murder of convenience, and then escalates to a murder of someone he knows very well, then goes back to a murder of convenience. It doesn't make any sense.'

'Maybe he was picking the right people for the books?' Castle contemplated it out loud, 'Fisk wearing a prom dress and chucked in a pool would not work.'

'If he was trying to follow your books, then the roses on Alison's body were wrong, and Fisk should have been suffocated by a plastic bag, not strangled with a necktie. And Kendra's dress should have been blue, not yellow. For an obsessive, it would have been impossible not to get the details right.'

'Why wouldn't Detective Gates listen?' Rick sighed overly dramatically, 'So who do you suppose did it?'

Kate cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes slightly, 'I don't know, you're the mystery novelist. Why don't you tell me?'

'Now, if I were writing the story, the killer would have wanted only one of the victims dead. He would have killed the other ones just to cover up the crime,' Castle stared at the lawyer. 'The killer had to have known both his intended victim and Kyle fairly well. Only victim that had any real knowledge of Kyle's obsessive condition would have been Alison Tisdale.'

'Alison's the key, she's the one the killer is trying to hide.'

That means we're not looking for a serial killer, we're looking for a good-old-fashioned murderer. Someone with motive.'

'Somebody set up Kyle to take the fall. Somebody, who knew enough about his fixation with me to use it to get away with murder.'

'As far as we know, she wasn't seeing anyone and none of her other case files fit the profile... Well, somebody had to know something about her.' Frustrated at the lack of ideas coming to her head she turned to the writer, 'did anyone talk to the family?'

'A detective interviewed the father. He had no idea about who would want Alyson dead.'

Kate thinned her lips into a line, 'and Harrison Tisdale: her brother?'

'There was never reason to.' Rick said, tilting his head to the side lightly.

'Are you still on good terms with any of the detectives?' Rick looked at her quizzically, leading her to explain, 'because we may need a hand.'

Grabbing his phone out of his jacket pocked Rick looked over at her, 'why Miss Beckett, I never thought of you as the plotting type.'

Kate just pursed her lips at him as he scrolled through his phone quickly. She pretended to be reading through a file as he spoke to the detective on the other line, really she was trying to stop herself from sighing at his silky voice and those beautifully put together words.

'Detective Esposito said he'd go down there on his lunch break.' Rick leant towards her over the large stack of papers littering the desk, 'just enough time for us to go get something to eat.'

'Or it's just enough time to get some of this in order, given Alyson's status in the community as a Tisdale the DA is trying to get this through court quickly.' Kate looked up from the file she was pouring through to see the writer looking sullen. 'Alright, why don't you go get take out and we can go over the files then?'

'I know the best Chinese in the city.' Rick stood excitedly and made his way to the door quickly.

Kate smiled at the closing door, 'get me a coffee on your way back, something tells me it's going to be a big day.'

* * *

><p><strong>So, I fail. <strong>

**Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter again! **


	4. Chapter 4

Once again he folded the top of the page down, sneaking another peek at the hard working lawyer. Her long hair had been pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck, where soft strands were slowly making their way free after the long hours of reading.

Kate looked up suddenly, finally snapping. 'What?'

He stifled a chuckle and decided to just tell the truth, 'nothing, it's just the way your brow furrows when you're thinking… it's cute.'

She opens her mouth to respond but nothing comes out, instead she just sits there for a couple of seconds before snapping back to reality. 'Can I ask you a question?'

'Shoot.' He leant forward, eager to hear what she had to say only to be regarded with an icy stare.

'Why are you here?'

'I'm here because if Kyle isn't innocent, my faith in the story will wane.'

'The story?' Kate scoffs, 'there isn't always a story. In some cases the guy is just a psychopath and in this case it seems like Kyle is it.'

'There's always a story, a chain of events that makes everything make sense. Take you for example, now your story is a predictable one, you're a smart, good looking woman so you became a lawyer. Now if I was telling the story something would have happened. Not to you but someone you care about, and because the person responsible was never caught you seek justice. Maybe you would become a super hero, strolling the streets of New York seeking revenge or maybe you became a tough but savvy female detective. Either way, it's a better story.'

'Like that would ever happen.' Beckett smirked and passed him another file, stretching her sore neck as she did. She took a glance at the clock to her right; it was well past closing time, 'last one, and then you can go get dinner.'

As they settled into silence with only the rustling of pages and the occasional remark about the file to fill the air both were uncomfortable, mostly because they were trying to stop themselves staring at each other. They would sneak glances, and then meeting the other's eyes, they would look back to their file, with just a hint of a smile on the lawyer's face and a full blown grin on the writer's.

* * *

><p>'Detective Esposito called while you were out,' Kate said as she accepted the warm coffee from the writer.<p>

'Really?' Rick whined, 'I missed it?'

'Yes, but did you want to know what he found out?' Kate paused dramatically till the writer was almost literally bouncing in his seat. 'Jonathan Tisdale has a perfect alibi, out of the country for all three murders he was quick to point it out when he was asked and his passport tells the same story.'

'Damn,' Rick said balling his hand into a fist, 'I was so sure that it was him.'

'You don't think he did it?'

'Wait, you're not saying…'

'He had to have forged it, even Esposito said that he was too quick to provide an alibi for all three. Apparently he didn't ask for dates, he didn't even check his calendar, he just knew.'

'But how did he do it? A US passport is almost impossible to alter…' both parties in the room sat and thought for a moment before Rick broke out in an excited grin, 'unless, he bought a second passport.'

'And just how would he do that?' Kate said, doubt riddling her voice.

'On the black market, with his money, it would be a piece of cake.'

'But how could we prove it?'

'Get the passport.'

'You don't think he would have destroyed it already, especially considering that he was asked for his alibi today? Getting rid of the evidence would be the first thing on his mind.'

'You're right, we have no hope.'

'Not unless we can find a paper trail, just give it some time alright.' She felt some strange urge to comfort the disappointed man, 'there had to be a reason that he killed her, we just have to find it.'

'Well, I brought sustenance.' Rick said, holding up a plastic bag filled with Chinese. 'I wasn't sure what you wanted so I got a variety.'

'Thanks Castle,' Kate said, smiling genuinely.

'No problem, Kate.'

She raised an eyebrow at his use of her first name and snatched up a container. 'Let's eat and work, maybe something will pop.'

* * *

><p>The next day Kate had spent alone for the most part, celebrating in the peace and quiet of her apartment. That was until she had to meet her parents for dinner at their house in the suburbs.<p>

'He's so infuriating, like a nine year old on a sugar rush, only he doesn't crash!' Kate said scooping the ice cream with just a bit too much venom.

Johanna smiled at her daughter, 'your Dad was like that too you know….'

'Dad could not have been as cocky as Richard Castle.'

'Well, around you he has every right to be. You are after all, his biggest fan.' Johanna said, walking out of the kitchen, bowls in hand and a smirk on her face.

'I'm not that big of a fan.' Kate yelled jokingly to Johanna's retreating back, 'plus, now that I know him, I'm never going to be able to read anything of his again.'

'Well, I'll just cancel that pre-order you made on Deadly Storm.' Johanna said, the smirk still firmly in place as Kate walked through the door.

Kate just glared at her mother and took her seat on the couch.

Johanna looped an arm over her daughter's shoulders, 'I'm just teasing Katie, the man can't be as bad as you're making him out to be.'

'Oh he is.' Kate said as she fell into her mother's side, resting her head on her Mom's shoulder.

Johanna rolled her eyes, 'just give him a chance.'

'I don't know if I'll have enough patience to last this case with him.'

Johanna just laughed at her daughter, she was so stubborn and so much like herself. With her brunette locks framing her face she was so beautiful and she couldn't help but be proud of the woman she had grown into being. 'You are amazing sweetheart.'

'Nowhere near as amazing as you,' Kate said smiling. 'Is Dad going to watch it with us?'

'Your Dad, watching a romantic movie, of course not. Remember that one time, when,' Johanna was already laughing so hard that she could barely form the words of the fond memory, making her daughter feel the tinkle of laugher bubbling up in herself. As Johanna chocked the story out Kate was unable to quell the chuckles.

'Shhhh,' Kate said, smothering her own laughter, 'it's starting.'

* * *

><p>As the movie got close to the end the two women heard a knock on the door, both were so entranced by the film that they didn't want to move and so they let Jim get the door.<p>

'Kate,' Jim said as two sets of footprints echoed through the hall.

'Shhh,' Kate said feebly as she dabbed at her eyes, she wasn't crying damn it. She heard someone trying to cover up a chuckle with a cough that most definitely wasn't her father but she barely registered it because she wanted to see the ending.

As the credits rolled Kate turned to her mother holding up the DVD case, 'this is the last time you get to pick the movie.'

'So it wasn't your fault that you were crying then,' a rather familiar voice said gleefully.

Surprised Kate turned to glare, a look that was ruined by the last few remnants of tears in her green eyes. 'Castle, what are you doing here?'

Both Beckett and Castle watched as her parents fled the room, giggling like teenagers. Kate sent a glare to their retreating backs, traitors.

'I'm cracking this case wide open, but if you'd rather sit here and watch romantic movies while we snuggle up on the couch that's fine too.'

The lawyer put a hand on her small hip and tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the writer to tell her what he came here for.

'Alright, I have a friend in the black market passport trade,' seeing the look on the lawyers face he quickly tried to explain, 'it was for a book, I needed to know how they did all the forgery, it's actually pretty fascinating. Did you know that they keep a log of every flight…' Rick trailed off lamely as the lawyer stared him down, 'and you aren't interested. Okay but anyway, I called him and asked if he had anything to do with Harrison Tisdale and he said that the name was familiar but he'd have to check. Now normally it would take some bribery to get those wheels turning but he owed me one and so I now have the alias that Tisdale used to get in and out of the country undetected.'

'So,' Kate shook her head slightly, 'what is it?'

* * *

><p><strong>I so just want to delete this story and I hate it when people on here say that about their own but I just needed to say it, sorry.<strong>

**Thanks for the reviews, it's because of you that there is another, terrible, chapter to read. So thank you all very, very, much and it should be wrapped up in one or two chapters.**


End file.
